War Games
by Koema
Summary: Team RWBY and team JNPR team up again in a practice exercise orchestrated by Ozpin. Ruby is blessed with a good omen, but is that enough for the challenges ahead?
1. Getting Ready

Hi everyone. This is a story written to see how the characters interact with each other more than anything else. I'm hoping I can capture each of their personalities well. This story takes place before the fall of Beacon, and is just one of the many training exercises that Ozpin put's his students through. I do not own RWBY.

* * *

Ruby smiled as she woke up. Her mother had visited her in her dreams, and this time, she didn't dream of her disappearing. She had just come to talk.

The dream was already fading, but the smell of white rose petals lingered on her mind. She knew that today's mission was going to go well.

Ruby sat up from her bunk, she wasn't the first one up. Weiss and Blake were in the kitchen, one starting a pot of coffee and the other preparing some morning tea.

Ruby jumped out of bed and walked over to them.

"Ruby," Weiss said, "I'm glad you're up, I was just about to come wake you."

"I'm glad you didn't, I was having a good dream." Ruby smiled and accepted a cup of coffee from Weiss.

"What was your dream about?" Blake asked.

"Well, I can't really remember much, but my mother was there, and I think all we did was talk. It was really nice." Ruby responded.

Blake and Weiss both smiled. They knew how important those kinds of dreams were to Ruby.

"Have you guys been up long?" Ruby asked.

"Not long," Blake admitted. "Though Weiss was up before me."

"I was a little anxious is all. I feel much better after my morning coffee," Weiss said, sipping from her cup.

"We still have to wake Yang up, don't we?" Asked Ruby, with a little bit of dread in her voice.

The other two girls nodded.

Blake had originally volunteered to wake her before Ruby was awake, and now moved to her bed side.

"Yang, it's time to get up," she said, shaking her a bit.

Yang turned over moaning, "I'm awake, I'm awake." She was not awake.

"Awake, as in 'out of bed' awake, Yang," Blake said, with a tone like she was putting a foot down.

Yang curled up putting her back to Blake and mumbling something unintelligible.

"Yang Xiao Long!" Blake said forcefully, pulling the covers away from the blonde and pushing her on her back. "You will get up, now if you please."

Yang saw threatening smile had appeared on Blake's face when she peaked under her eye lids to see if she could take this any further.

Yang smiled as she started to sit up, "anything for you, pretty kitty." She knew the tease would work it's way under Blake's skin.

Clearly annoyed by the comment, Blake marched back to the kitchen.

"Maybe one of us will wake Yang up next time, Blake," Weiss said, while Ruby giggled.

Yang shuffled over, her limbs still heavy with sleep. Weiss handed her a cup of coffee and said, "Blake made this for you, something to think about the next time you think about pushing her buttons."

Yang turned to Blake and flashed her a huge grin, "I knew you loved me!" She said warmly and cheerfully.

Blake pouted a moment, but soon couldn't help from smiling at Yang's glow. Yang was right.

"Alright kids," Ruby shouted, which got a stare from everyone. Undeterred, she continued, "we are supposed to meet team JNPR in the mess hall in 45 minutes, ok? So let's make sure we are ready to go in 35. Then we can enjoy a second cup of coffee before heading down."

Everyone nodded, finished their first cups, then bustled around to prep for the mission ahead.

Team RWBY entered into the dinning hall. It was still early, and no one else was up and about yet. They had beaten team JNPR down.

Ruby joked that they were still probably trying to coax their team leader out of bed still. They laughed and walked over to the supply wall and started to gather food to make for breakfast.

They decided on pancakes since team JNPR was going to eat with them and they knew it was a personal favorite of the group, not to mention Nora.

They were just about to finish preparations when team JNPR walked in.

"Hey you bums," Yang shouted, waving them over. Pyrrha and Ren leading the group over as Nora and Jaune leaned against each other, still half asleep.

"Hello!" Pyrrha called happily.

"Good morning," Ren said politely, though his eyes looked happy to see them.

Jaune and Nora both mumbled something that sounded like a greeting. They weren't normally morning people to begin with, and they were up earlier than normal.

Ruby smiled at all of them and walked over to Nora. "Do you think you'd wake up more if I told you pancakes would be ready soon?" Ruby asked slyly.

It was like a bolt of lightening went through Nora at the mention of the word. Her eyes shot open and she sat upright.

Jaune leaned over dangerously without his support buddy, and then slowly tumbled to the floor. He didn't even try to catch himself. He just curled up and groaned, "Nora... why.."

Everyone started laughing. The morning was starting out really well. Team RWBY finished making the pancakes and everyone ate. Talking about their mission to come, and what it could be.

When breakfast was approaching its end, Weiss leaned over and whispered to Ruby, "we should probably start cleaning this up and go pick up our weapons. That way no matter what happens we'll be on time." As she finished she looked at Nora who was now functioning at her usual energy levels.

Ruby laughed, "I suppose you're right." And the pair stood up and started to collect plates to take to the sink. Pyrrha and Ren and Jaune also stood up to help. Jaune went straight to the sink and started washing the plates the rest brought to him.

In only a couple of minutes they had their dishes cleaned and their mess picked up. It was no wonder Ozpin was having them team up, they already worked so well together.

They all moved out of the dinning hall and moved to the armory. Ruby and Nora both gave a squeal when they saw their weapons. Ruby gathering Crescent Rose into her arms and Nora doing the same with Magnhild.

After going through their pre-mission checks, and Ruby and Jaune making sure everyone had what they needed, they all moved towards the airship pads. Ozpin was there waiting for them.


	2. Making a Plan

"Good morning Team RWBY, Team JNPR. You're right on time," Ozpin said in his soft, knowing tone. "Today, you will be participating in a war game. Your group will be defending a capture point. Your goal will be to keep the capture point out of enemy hands for 24 hours, starting 1 hour after your arrival to your destination. You'll have one hour to set up a defensive strategy and prepare. After that, your enemy will be free to attack as they see fit."

Ozpin paused a moment so that they could digest all the information before he continued. "Your defensive point has a flag pole with our flag attached. You will pass if your flag remains there for the whole 24 hours. If the enemy manages to remove your flag and install their own, then you will fail. Are there any questions?"

Both teams were quiet for a moment, each member analyzing the information and deciding what else they'd like to know. Weiss was the first to speak up.

"Where is the defensive point set up? What kind of terrain will we be dealing with?" She asked.

Ozpin smile, "that, my dear students, is something you will see when you arrive. It will be part of your job to adjust to your surroundings."

The teams nodded, then Ren spoke up. "What about the other teams? Who are we defending against and how many will there be?"

Ozpin kept his smile as he answered, "this information will be kept from you also. You have to be able to adjust and adapt to any situation. You will rarely know your enemy's strength in a real battle."

"You're not gonna tell us anything are you, old man?" Nora smirked. "No worries, we can handle anything."

"Yeah!" Shouted Jaune, Yang, and Ruby, throwing their fists in the air. Everyone else nodding their approval.

Ozpin just nodded, and beckoned to the airship, "then if there is no other questions, you can be off."

"Wait," Ruby said, before the boarded. "We are allowed to use any tools we bring, right?" She asked.

Ozpin smiled, "of course, Ruby Rose."

Ruby smiled and nodded, and beckoned everyone onto the airship. "Come on guys! Let's do this!"

Everyone boarded, and the airship took off to their destination.

While on board Ruby leaned over and whispered to Weiss. Weiss gave her a nod and Ruby gathered everyone together.

"Ok guys," Ruby started. "Me and Weiss were trying to think about what could help us in a mission this big, and how we would keep all of us functioning together. Then Weiss had a brilliant idea." She looked at Weiss and she cleared her throat.

"Yes, well, we needed away to know what was going on in the field quickly so we could all react quickly in an effective manner. So me and Ruby went and bought radio ear sets."

Here she passed an ear piece out to everyone. "It's already tuned to the right frequency, and this way we will be able to communicate in the field better."

Everyone got excited! This was a great idea. Everyone fitted the ear piece into their ear and they ran radio checks.

"With these, this mission will be a cinch!" Yang shouted, causing everyone to buckle over in pain since her ear piece was still on.

"Let's refrain from shouting into the mics, ok Yang?" Blake said menacingly to Yang.

"My bad," Yang apologized, putting a hand behind her head and giving everyone an innocent grin.

They were on board for 25 minutes. During their flight they made an initial scouting plan so that they could get a handle on the land they were defending and outwards.

They decided that they would all split up and scout in different directions around their base 10 minutes out. That would be their max defendable range. Then they would meet back at the base and asses the landscape and make a plan to defend their base.

The pilot announced they were 5 minutes out. They looked out the window and saw the forest of Forever Fall.

"Wait... the forest of Forever Fall has Grimm in it..." said Jaune. "Are we defending from Grimm or other hunters and huntresses?"

"Ozpin, that snake!" Shouted Nora.

"Ozpin did say that we would be defending against other teams. So it must be both. We will have to account for the Grimm as well now." Pyrrha said.

"We really shouldn't do anything alone then. We should always try to travel in pairs now so no one is caught unaware." Ruby said. "Also, we have some experience in the forest already, we already have some idea as to what the terrain is going to be like."

Everyone nodded in agreement. They were confident in their ability to adapt to the terrain. Though they all felt nervous about the Grimm being a factor also.

The airship lowered to the ground, and they saw their base for the first time. It was a flagpole in an enclave or trees. It was a perfect defensive spot.

They broke up into teams and scouted the area for their 10 minutes. Yang and Blake went west, Ren and Nora went east, Pyrrha and Jaune went south and Ruby and Weiss explored the north.

As they expected, the only thing they had to report was forest trees. Each with thick leaves that were easy to hid behind.

Ruby and Jaune broke away from the group and discussed the best action plan on how to relegate their teams. Once they decided they came back and quieted everyone.

"Ok people!" Ruby shouted. "Me and Jaune have decided what we think is the best plan of action. So let us know what you think. So it is true, with this forest being inhabited with Grimm also, we should keep in pairs. Each pair will have different jobs."

"Blake and Jaune, you're the first pair," Ruby directed. "Blake, you have better eye sight and hearing than anyone here. You're job is to keep an eye on everything and direct everyone to where you hear the enemy. Jaune, your going to protect her at all costs ok? You guys will only going the battle if absolutely necessary."

Blake started to protest, "wait, I'd rather be apart of the fight! I can help..." but Jaune stepped in before she went any further. "I know the feeling Blake, trust me. I'd rather be there helping too. But Ruby is right. Everyone will be much safer if they knew what was coming and from what direction. You're going to be holding the whole team together and making sure no one gets them by surprise."

Blake stood there for a second, not looking too happy, but sighed and agreed. "I see your point. You're right, I'll be better as a look out."

"Thanks for understanding Blake," Ruby smiled at her.

"Ok, the next group is going to be Yang and Nora." The girls whooped and shouted, giving each other a high five. "You guys are going to be our vanguard. You'll stay close to the base and crush anyone who gets near!" Ruby shouted excitedly. Yang and Nora had fire in their eyes. They liked their job.

"Ren and Pyrrha. You'll be a team and me and Weiss will be a team also. We are going to be the forward team. We'll keep patrolling around our perimeter and try to intercept any enemies before they get to close to the base."

"Well..." said Ruby, "that's what me and Jaune came up with. What do you think?"

Blake raised her hand, "well I'm still not excited about not being able to fight," she pouted, looking at Yang. She looked jealous of Nora.

Yang walked over and put a hand on her head. "Don't pout, kitty cat. I'm gonna need you to look out for me, you know I can be reckless at times. So I'm counting on you to make sure I stay pointed in the right direction. Ok? We are still in this together."

Yang smiled at Blake, and Blake couldn't help but smile back. "Ok, Yang. But you're going to owe me for this." She said expectantly.

"How about we say dinner at your favorite Roman stand? Will that do the trick?" Said Yang, winking at Blake.

Blake purred under Yangs hand in response. It was good enough for her!

Pyrrha stepped forward and said, "I believe it is a great plan. Me and Ren will do our best." Ren nodded in agreement.

Pyrrha then turned to Jaune and said softly to him, "I know you'll do incredible." Jaune blushes a little and responded, "I know you will too. Let's win this thing."

"ALLLRRIIIIGGHHTT!" Shouted Nora, catching everyone off guard. "We're going to ROCK this!" And everyone cheered in agreement.

After a couple more words of encouragement and preparation, they broke into their groups and took position around the base.

The war games were about to begin.


	3. The Waiting Game

Ruby and Weiss were sitting in a tall tree, resting in cover. They had patrolled around the north and east sides of the camp for almost 2 hours now without any sightings of an enemy scout or Grimm.

"Gah, Weiss, something is going to have to happen soon. I'm going to go insane with waiting." Ruby complained to Weiss.

"I know Ruby, but 24 hours is a long time. The enemy will probably take all the time that they can to tire us out and to try to make a plan to capture our base."

"Weeeiisss I knoowww. I'm just so bored. Maybe one of the other teams has seen something since we last checked in." Ruby reached for her mi button to call in a progress report from everyone else.

"Ruby Rose!" Weiss said sternly. "You called for a report 10 minutes ago. If they see something, they will report. It won't do any good annoying the others."

"..." Ruby sat there pouting at Weiss. Weiss didn't give any ground and Ruby conceded. "Fiinneee. I'll wait patiently."

Weiss softened her look and smiled softly at her. It was only a small gesture, but it made Ruby smile too, and she looked a little less bored.

"It makes it better that you're here, you know," Ruby said, her eyes on the leaves above her.

Weiss blushed a little. "What? Is my discipline rubbing off on you and you have more control over how you feel?"

Ruby laughed at this and looked at Weiss, "nah ... " Then Ruby smirked and taking a mocking tone said, "I just spend so much thinking about not upsetting you that I have less time to think about how bored I am!"

"You dolt!" Weiss exclaimed. She was the one pouting now with arms crossed and back towards Ruby.

Ruby came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, turning Weiss to look at her. Still with the mocking tone she said, "looks like a might not have spent enough time thinking about that huh?"

Ruby was giving Weiss her best 'forgive me' smile.

It worked, Weiss softened up immediately and laughed a little. "No, you didn't spend enough time thinking about." Said Weiss, trying to play along with Ruby's joke.

Ruby's eyes glinted as she said a little too sweetly, "I'm sorry Weiss, I just get so distracted by how cute you are."

Weiss was not ready for that, she had no response, she just sat there speechless and frozen, a deep red blush brightening her cheeks.

"You're so cute when you're flustered, Weiss!" Ruby laughed, allowing Weiss to recover enough to stutter a respond.

"R-Ruby, w-why do y-you always do this to me during an I-important mission. You d-dolt."

The radio cracked then, saving Weiss from any more of Ruby's schemes.

"Hello? This is Pyrrha." Came Pyrrha's voice over the radio.

Ruby's eyes lit up with excitement, finally something was happening, though she was enjoying teasing Weiss.

"Yes!" Ruby said a little excitedly. "What do you have to report, Pyrrha?"

"Well ... nothing really ..." Ruby's eyes lost the spark they just had. "I wanted to say that maybe we should convene at the camp and discuss what's happening and maybe adjust our plan. 24 hours is a long time, and we didn't account for having to rest."

"Tired already, Pyrrha?" Nora's voice said sarcastically, followed quickly by Yang. "Pyrrha? More like Pyrr-dud" this was followed by ridiculous laughter from the vanguard group.

"That's enough you two," came Blake's voice. She was amused, but tried to sound annoyed in order to shut Yang up.

"I know you love me, kitty cat!" Yang said, getting the last word. Blake gave an exaggerated "ugh" and Ruby jumped on before any more mischief could happen.

"Pyrrha, that's a good idea. Alright everybody, let's meet up at the base of the flagpole and decide what we'll do from there, ok?"

Everyone agreed, and Ruby and Weiss got up to head back to base

Everyone got there before Ruby and Weiss. As the walked up, Yang turned towards them looking devilish and asked, "did you guys take a break to get a quick smooch in?" Putting a lot of emphasis on the word smooch.

Ruby stopped dead turning as red as her cloak and waving her arms, "n-no no it wasn't that at all," she said franticly.

Weiss couldn't help but laugh and whispered to Ruby, "who's the one that's flustered now?"

Ruby just hung her head and sighed "gaahhh" and joined the group a little embarrassed.

"Alright," Ruby started the meeting. "What were you thinking Pyrrha?"

"Well, like I said earlier, 24 hours is a long time to hold this position. And if we don't get any rest during this time, we won't be very effective defenders when the war game comes to its end game. So I suggest alternating groups on patrol while the other gets rest. And including our vanguard group in some patrol."

"AWWW YEEAAAHH!" Nora shouted.

"We also have to make sure Blake and Jaune get some rest too. When they rest, we should tighten our patrol so nobody can sneak through." Pyrrha finished.

"Some rest would be good for me," said Blake. "I won't be much help to you as your eyes if I can barely keep mine open."

"Ok, well the time we are going to need you the most is at night. That's when we'll be able to take advantage of your night vision. So why don't we tighten patrol now, and Blake, do you think you can get some sleep?" Asked Ruby.

"Yeah I could sleep for a bit, but I won't be able to make it till evening." The Faunus responded.

"Ok, then sleep for now, and then you and Jaune will take over on patrol. Yang, Nora. You guys also rest for now. We'll switch patrol in an hour. And then every two hours after that until night fall."

Everyone agreed, and this is how they passed the time until night fall.

Twice an enemy scout was spotted, one was a member of team CRDL, the other was a team they hadn't had a lot of experience with, team DSRT, pronounced desert.

Each scout was surrounded by a patrol team and taken out. They were tied up to a tree on the outside of the perimeter of the base. They wouldn't give any information on their teams strategy or if there were more than two teams, even after letting Yang and Nora toy with with them. They were then left to their own devices till the end of the match.

There was also an incident with Grimm. Two Ursas had roamed two close to camp. Which delighted Ruby to no end. Her and Weiss quickly disposed of the Grimm.

Twilight was starting to fall, and anticipation kept all the members of team RWBY and team JNPR from being able to get any more rest. So Blake took her original position as eyes. Yang and Nora were posted by the flag, and Ruby, Weiss, Pyrrha, and Ren were positioned a small distance off in their respective teams.

Night slowly crept into the sky, and stars came to life. The moon floated near the horizon, not giving a lot of light. This would be a perfect time for the three teams to attack.

"Keep your guard up," came Janine's whispered voice over the radio. "This is going to be the darkest hours of the night. Expect them to attack soon."

Everyone clicked their radios to indicate the understood.

Not soon after, Blake came on, sounding nervous. "Guys. I see movement in three different locations. It's little movements, slow. Not Grimm, they're hunters and huntresses. They're making their first move on the base."

"Finally," Ruby answered back. "Alright guys, we are ready for this! Blake, do we have enough time to attack each group Individually, or will we need to split up?"

"They're a small distance off still, and moving slowly, you should be able to each team as a unit," Blake offered.

"Wait wait, me and Nora request you let one through so we can have some fun." Yang said.

"It isn't about fun Yang, it's about winning and doing things right." Blake rebuttaled.

"Yeeeaaahhh I knooowww, but winning is no fun if you can't enjoy it! Cut us some slack, us girls just wanna have fun!"

Ruby jumped in, "Alright Yang, we'll leave the closest team to you guys, but you gotta let them get close, I don't want you out of sight from the flag."

"WOOHOO!" Yang and Nora shouted into the radio.

"Shhh, you two!" Ruby hissed into the radio.

"Sorry," said Yang and Nora happily.

"Alright, let's go win this thing!" Ruby said.

The battle for the base was finally beginning.


	4. Protecting the Base

Blake directed Ruby and Weiss into their initial striking position for the first team. Together they jumped from branch to branch, tree to tree to get into position. Ruby using her semblance to stay on top of the trees and Weiss using her glyphs to keep balance.

Then Blake got Pyrrha and Ren in position.

"Alright, the enemy will be in position in just a few minutes," Blake said to them after everyone was in position. "I'm moving to another vantage point, so I won't be able to help for a couple of minutes. Do your best."

"Alright, forward team," Ruby whispered into the mic. "Ren, you jump ahead and observe. Keep out of sight and let us know if there is anything we can use to our advantage. We want to make this a quick victory"

"Of course," said Ren, and he glided ahead making no noise in the tree branches.

After a minute his whisper came over the radio, "two members from team CRDL. Cardin and Sky. They are armed. No evidence of communication ability. Two of us can drop behind them and pin them while the other knocks them out."

"Ok, thanks Ren," Ruby said. "Weiss, can you pen Sky with your glyphs?"

"Yeah, I can contain him." Said Weiss.

"Alright then. Ren, you and Weiss will immobilize the targets. And me and Pyrrha will come in quick to knock them out. Weiss, we'll take Sky. Ren, Pyrrha, I'm sure you'll be happy to take Cardin?"

"It will be my pleasure." Pyrrha Said, I bit of fire in her voice.

Jaune spoke up also, "get him good for me Pyrrha."

"I will" she responded. She was going to enjoy this.

Weiss spoke up then, "they're in range, is everyone ready?"

They were, and they took their positions.

"Ren, Weiss, on my mark ... Mark" Ruby commanded.

Ren landed noiselessly behind Cardin and in one move, fast as lightning, had pined Cardin's arms behind his back and held him fast.

Weiss was just as fast, landing a few feet away from Sky. She had already started creating her glyphs before she landed, and soon Sky was pinned.

"Now, Pyrrha!" Ruby called to the redhead.

Ruby launched off her perch using her semblance to gain speed. She came flying in, barely even a blur, and landed a massive kick on the side of Sky's head. He immediately crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Pyrrha landed in front of a reeling Cardin, and his eyes went wide when he recognized who it was. Pyrrha gave him a sadistic smile, and with a glint in her eye punched him square in the face with all her might. Ren let go of him and he too crumpled to the floor, unconscious with blood flowing from his nose.

"That was satisfying," Pyrrha hummed happily to herself.

Ruby activated the mic. "First group eliminated. No trouble. Blake, has there been any change in the other groups of the enemy?"

Before Blake could answer, Jaune spoke up, "hey Pyrrha, how is our friend doing?"

Ruby could see Pyrrha smile, "I am probably a little too pleased to announce that he will be very unhappy when he wakes up."

"That's my girl!" Jaune blurted our, without realizing what he was saying. Ruby saw Pyrrha's face turn as red as her hair.

An awkward silence passed before Jaune's voice came over the mic again. "Ah ... uh ... I meant ... well, carry on," he said awkwardly embarrassed.

"Blake?" Ruby asked again, trying to hold back a laugh.

"There has been no change in either of the groups. I would suggest tying them up. We can drag them back to the base after the other groups are neutralized."

"Good idea," Weiss said. "I'll tie them up."

When Weiss finished, Blake directed them to their next group. When they were near, they stopped and Blake said, "if you wait there they will reach you in a few minutes."

"Thank, Blake," Ruby said. "We'll Wait here."

Then Blake addressed the vanguards. "Yang, Nora. Your group has stopped on the perimeter to your left. They might be waiting for a signal from their other team mates. I'd suggest waiting for the forward team to neutralize the other group. Then you girls can have your way with them."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Nora said!

"Hurry it up then, I'm itching for some action!" Yang said.

"I'll radio as soon as we are done!" Ruby promised.

The young leader turned to her teammates. "This time I'll serve as a distraction. I'll use my semblance to flash by them and while their distracted, you guys take them out. How does that sound?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Works for me." Ren said. Weiss gave her a smile and a thumbs up.

They positioned themselves, and waited for the enemy team to walk beneath them.

Ruby gave the signal, then rushed by them, more of a wind than a huntress. The enemy looked to where she had ran. When their heads were turned, Ren and Pyrrha dropped behind them and choked them out.

They didn't know the name of the huntress from team DSRT, but they did know Russel Thrush from team CRDL.

"I'll let the others know that we are finished. Then we can grab the hunters and huntresses and tie them up at base." Ruby said.

She informed their vanguard team that they were in the clear to attack. Yang and Nora both shouted finally and disappeared from the radio. Soon afterwards they felt the ground tremble and Weiss said she heard maniacal laughing on the wind.

"There is no holding back with those two," Ren said with a smile.

That made the rest of them laugh. Ren and Pyrrha grabbed the two enemies they just knocked out and headed back to base while Ruby and Weiss walked over to where they had left Cardin and Sky.

Weiss used her summoning to bring her ice knight to life. She used him to carry the unconscious hunters back to base.

They arrived to see Yang with an innocent smile explaining herself to Blake, and Nora looking proud standing next to two craters in the ground.

Ruby meet up with Jaune, and they called the rest of the group together.

"Good job, guys," Jaune praises everyone. "I don't think that could have gone any smoother!"

"Well, maybe if Yang and Nora could control themselves," Weiss said, her arms crossed.

"I don't see any complaining, ice queen," Yang said laughing. She stopped when she saw Blake glaring at her and assumed a guilty smile.

"It's true. Everything has gone perfectly so far!" Ruby said happily. "But we cant afford to put our guards down yet. We still have about 6 hours till the war games are over. So there is still a chance something could happen."

"I agree," Weiss spoke up. But I don't think we have to worry about hunters or huntresses any more. I suspect that these were the only two teams."

Everyone agreed with her.

"Therefore our main threat from here on out will be Grimm. So we probably don't have to keep up such a strong watch and we can take turns getting some rest."

"I think that's a good idea. We have all been up several hours more than normal," said Ren.

"What do you think Jaune?" Ruby asked.

Jaune sat there thinking for a moment before responding. "I definitely agree that we could use some sleep. We could probably get by with just two on watch, that way more of us can be rested if anything happens. Since I was probably the least active this whole time, I'll take the first watch."

"I'll join you on the first watch," Pyrrha said a little quickly, but it did make Jaune smile.

"Alright then, me and Pyrrha will have the first watch. Who are we gonna wake for the second?" Asked Jaune.

"Go ahead and wake me up. I'll take the second watch." Ruby offered.

"And I'll join her," Blake said.

"Me and Nora will take the third watch," Ren said, and Nora gave a big nod in affirmative.

"That leaves me and you, Ice Queen," Yang said to Weiss. "If it even gets to us. I know Ruby and Blake will likely try to take more time then they need to in order to 'spare' us," Yang said.

"Jaune might try to stretch his time too in order to spend more time with Pyrrha," Nora said with a suggestive tone.

Both Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes went wide and their checks turned crimson.

"You've got it all wrong. We would do that to take some of the burden of the rest of the group too, like Ruby and Blake!" Jaune defended himself frantically.

This got a good laugh from the everyone else, and more embarrassment for Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Alright alright, that's enough," Jaune commanded, getting over his embarrassment enough to take back his leadership position. "Me and Pyrrha are gonna start the watch, and you all are gonna catch some shut eye. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" The whole group teased with a mock salute. They all got up, made sure the prisoners were properly tied up, and set up their beds around the flagpole.

Jaune and Pyrrha sat with their backs together. Before Ruby closed her eyes, she looked over and saw them whispering to each other. She was happy for them. She knew they would deny anything, but the soft smile on Pyrrha's lips as she looked at Jaune, and the light in his eyes when she was near told enough. She smiled and drifted off to sleep.


	5. A Close Call

Jaune and Pyrrha were thankful for the alone time. They leaned against each other and watched as the rest of their team and team RWBY slowly dropped off to sleep. Whispering so not to wake them.

Their conversation was easy. Jaune had long since dropped his strong man act with her. After all he put her through with his servitude to Cardin, he knew she deserved nothing but his true self.

So he had been giving it to her. They talked together about who they were, and what they hope for. Jaune was now telling her about his seven sisters and the "tortures" that they put him through. Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh at all of them and Jaune had to admit that he didn't mind. He loved them and even though it was never manly, all the teasing was out of love.

Pyrrha smiled at Jaune and said, "you know, Jaune. You're a really sweet. Most men I know would never admit to enjoying their sisters, or even mentioning the word love when it comes to family."

"Well, I think by now it's obvious that I'm not the 'manliest' man. No point in pretending otherwise any more," Jaune responded, pretending to be defeated.

"You know ... " Pyrrha said after a moment of thought. "I think it makes you a better man though. A real man is someone who is honest and steadfast. They stand up for those they believe in and care for, even if the obstacles are bigger than them. You do that very well."

"Well, Pyrrha, That is awfully nice of you to say. But let's not pretend I'm anything more than I am," Jaune laughed.

"Then Jaune, you are nothing more than a good man, and that is enough," said Pyrrha kindly.

She felt Jaune relax against her. They sat like that for a moment. And softly she heard Jaune whisper, "thank you, Pyrrha."

She smiled and reached back and rested her hand on his.

"You guys make me sick!"

Jaune and Pyrrha both jumped out of their skin! They were on their feet in an instant, weapons and shields in hand. Hearts pounding as they looked around to see where the voice came from.

"You guys are pathetic," came the voice again, on the edge of camp. They looked and saw Cardin had woken up. He was the one that had scared them. Pyrrha and Jaune relaxed and slowly walked over.

"Ah, it's just you Cardin. For a minute I thought someone with more bite might have spoken up." Jaune said.

"Hey, screw you. If I wasn't tied up, you'd all be in a world of pain." Cardin said spitefully.

"Cardin, my friend, you forget yourself on two accounts. You've forgotten all I've done for you in this very forest. And, more importantly I might add, you've forgotten that Pyrrha can beat your whole team by herself. I think we all know your threats are just barks," Jaune said.

"I forget nothing. I expect that from Pyrrha, she is pretty much a goddess, but big talk from you just pisses me off," Cardin spat.

Jaune turned to Pyrrha, "did you hear him? Well, I never thought I'd agree with him, but you really are goddess like."

Pyrrha blushes a little bit. Cardin spoke up again. "What I don't understand is how she could develop any kind of respect enough for such a weak man like you, Jaunny-boy."

Pyrrha's blush disappeared as she step forward, squaring her frame and appearing to grow larger from her display of might. "The strength of a man is measured in many ways, Cardin Winchester. You merely focus on one, and in it, not even you stack up." Her eyes had fires in them.

Jaune rarely saw her like this, filled with passion and fury. He was happy and honored that she would express such passion in his defense. But even righteous fury could be dangerous out in these woods. If her and Cardin both felt anger, it might be enough for Grimm to sense it.

"Our friend forgets himself again, Pyrrha. I think we've blessed him with our presence long enough. What do you think?" Jaune said.

With an almost haughty expression, one Jaune had never seen before, she turned away from Cardin and started walking back with Jaune. "You're right, he isn't worth our time anymore."

"Hey!" Cardin yelled. "You can't just walk away from me!"

They kept going, ignoring him. Once out of ear shot, Jaune whispered, "thanks for standing up for me, Pyrrha. Cardin looked scared when your eyes flames up, though I don't think I deserved your ..."

Pyrrha interrupted him before he went any further, "men can be so foolish sometimes. Your eyes are so narrow on one aspect of strength and you judge each other harshly against it. You judge your self hardest of all, Jaune. I defended you because you have demonstrated strength in many ways, and you have blessed me and your team with those strengths."

Jaune was silent ... just staring at Pyrrha with his mouth open.

"Oh ..." Pyrrha said quietly. "I'm sorry, I might have been too bold."

Jaune, ever the one who responds poorly to things, recovered enough to reply, "no, no. I was just pitying you. Some how I managed to fool you into thinking so highly of me."

Pyrrha punched him in his arm for that and laughed. Together they walked back to where they had been sitting before.

Before they could sit down though, they froze again, hands on their weapons. On the night air came the howl of a beowolf.

It was followed by a series of beowolf howls, each progressively closer in a partial circle around the base. It was a whole pack.

"That doesn't bode well," Pyrrha whispered.

"Let's give it some time, maybe they'll pass us by. We'll just keep quiet and have happy thoughts," Jaune whispered back.

But as the last howl died, yelling came from where they had just walked away from. They turned to see Cardin struggling against his ropes.

"That idiot!" Jaune yelled, turning back and running at Cardin. "Shut up, shut up!" Jaune yelled at him. But Cardin kept shouting, accusing them of tying them up to feed them to the Beowulfs.

Jaune didn't waste any time talking to him. Without even stopping, Jaune lifted his foot and slammed it into the side of his head, knocking him out.

He came to a stop and waited silently, looking at Pyrrha. Both of them listening to see if the Beowulfs would do anything.

They heard them howl again, as a pack, but their distance hadn't changed.

Jaune walked back over to Pyrrha. "All we can do is wait. Do you think we should wake the others up though, just to be safe?" Jaune asked.

"I think you guys should let them sleep," came a voice behind them. Again Jaune nearly jumped out of his skin, but Pyrrha recognized the voice and turned and smiled.

"I'm glad you're up Ruby," she said. Ruby was standing confidently behind them, Crescent Rose testing on her shoulder.

"Hey Pyrrha, Hey Jaune" Ruby smiled.

"Hey, Ruby. Would you mind putting the 'scare the pee out of Jaune mission' on hold, please?" Jaune said in a mockingly bitter tone.

"Sorry about that!" Ruby smiled. "I don't really wanna know how much Pumpkin Pete's stuff you own."

Pyrrha laughed. "Alright alright, thanks guys, but shouldn't we be quiet? You heard the Beowulfs! They're not that far."

"Well," Ruby said. "Negative thoughts draw them in, maybe positive thoughts will help drive them away! Either way, they already heard Cardin, so no harm in trying right?"

"You seem strangely unworried right now," Jaune said, looking skeptically at Ruby.

"Yeeeaaahh. Well, part of me hopes they come, I would like a good fight. I've been a little underwhelmed with the exercise so far," Ruby admitted.

"You're a little freak you, you know that," Jaune said.

Pyrrha slapped his arm, "be nice!" But Ruby laughed a little, "eh, yeah, I know."

The Beowulfs howls were heard again, further away this time though. They were moving away.

"Well, either my plan worked, or I just got unlucky," Ruby said. "Either way, I'll head back to bed. Wake me up first if anything fun happens."

"Ok, Ruby," Jaune sighed.

"Oh, and Jaune. That was an epic kick. I hope Cardin feels that when he wakes up." Ruby called over her shoulder.

Jaune waved her off and turned back to Pyrrha who said, "she really is unique. There is something about her that is hard to describe."

"I'll say it again, she's a little freak." Jaune said.

Pyrrha turned and gave him a threatening look. Jaune put his hands up, "yeah, I know," he laughed. "That wasn't very nice."

"What I mean is that when she showed up, all of our fear went away, and we were able to relax and even laugh with a pack of Beowulfs not far off," Pyrrha said, with a little bit of wonder. "Not to mention that the Beowulfs backed off. I don't know if it was the positive feelings or just luck, but she makes a big difference."

"You two might have been laughing, but I was attacked," Jaune said, in mock anger.

"I'm sure you'll recover just fine," Pyrrha responded snarkily.

They walked over and sat down again. For the rest of their watch they talked and laughed. When it was time to change watches, Ruby and Weiss took over for them.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and each watch passed easily to the next group till morning came.


	6. Wrapping Up, Looking Ahead

Cardin woke up again while Ren and Nora was on watch, and when Nora went over to check it out, he had the presence of mind to keep his mouth after seeing Nora give him and evil smile. The rest of the enemy team had worked up through the night, but realized the situation they were in and hardly even tried to get out of their bindings.

Weiss had started a fire, and the hunters and huntresses who were asleep sat around it still waking up. Weiss passed around breakfast bars that she had brought for everyone for just this situation. Ren passed around a drink he had made for everyone to help them wake up. It worked well, cause most people had to react quickly to spit it out before they threw up.

"We should be pretty close to our 24 hour limit now," Ren said.

"You're right!" Nora said. "What should we do to celebrate?"

"Let's make dinner tonight," Jaune said.

Everyone cheered. That was a perfect idea.

Weiss wasn't ready to think so far a head though. "Hey, we aren't out of the woods yet. Anything can happen while we are still in the forest," she said.

"Oh, Weiss. Lighten up a little won't you." Yang said, lounging on the ground.

"I'm just saying, I don't want something to happen and we lose. We're still getting graded on this," Weiss said matter of factly.

"Hey Weiss," Blake said. "I think Yang you should listen to Yang this time. Relax, the exercise is over."

"Blake, I expected you of all people would care more about making sure we make it to the end!" She said flustered.

All Blake did was point to the sky, and as Weiss turned to look at what she was pointing at, two airships flew over the trees and started to settle on the ground.

Weiss hung her head a little in embarrassment. Together everyone cleaned up camp and went to meet who ever was in the airship. Glynda stepped out of one and Ozpin the other.

"Well done students," Ozpin praised. "That was exemplary work. I know you would work well together, but I could not have guessed how easily and smoothly it would go."

Glynda nodded at them in recognition and moved over to where team DSRT and team CRDN were bound. She released them and ushered them into an airship and took off. Ozpin held back the victors silently until they had taken off.

When the airship was finally moving away across the sky, Ozpin finally addressed them again. "So, how did you come out victorious in this exercise?" He asked.

"Well, you teamed us up against some low grade competition," Yang was the first one to respond.

"Yang Xiao Long," Ozpin said, giving her a deadpan stare. "If they were not capable hunters and huntresses, they would not be here. Now, again, how did you win?"

"We were more prepared then the other teams," Weiss said.

"Very good Miss Schnee. Yes, your team was significantly more prepared. Now, do you know why you were more prepared?"

"Well ... I can't speak for the other team, but we only had what you told us as guidelines, which was simply to win. So we prepared to use any resource that we could. In addition to that, we are very familiar with each others skills and abilities and how best to utilize them. Like I said, I can't speak for the other teams, but that is something we are prepared for," Pyrrha explained.

"Well said, Miss Nikos and again, yes. You adapted to the situations well, and your utilization of Miss Belladonna's abilities were top notch. So, going forward, what can you take with you from this experience?"

"We should make efforts to know the abilities of those we are teamed up with and their resolve. The more information we have the better our ability to adapted and react to changing situations in a battle," Said Ren.

"Yes, Mr. Lie Ren. You are correct." Ozpin praises. "Well, it seems you have accomplished and learned everything you need to from this exercise. I must say that I am impressed and proud at how well you performed."

Ozpin stepped aside and ushered them into the airship and took them back to Beacon. When they landed, and before he opened the doors for them to get out, he gave them one last bit of advice.

"I know it hardly has to be said, but I'd say it all the same. Even though it was easily won, it is a victory all the same. Celebrate and be glad for it. You'll come to learn that it is good to celebrate even the smallest of victories." After his speech he opened the doors and let them out and flew off to his next business.

Team JNPR and team RWBY took Ozpin's advice, and that night everyone crashed in team JNPR's room with pizza and drinks. Talking and laughing about the war games.

They would remember Ozpin's words though. Soon they would understand what he meant by needing to celebrate the smallest of victories, because their victories will stop. Many will die. Cities and homes will be lost, and the only victories they will know for a while will be that they're still alive.

But even through that time, they'll think back to this night, and the darkness will seem less dark, and the cold will be less cold. The memories of the good they have with each other will be part of the motivation for them to keep fighting. Fighting to win that goodness back.


	7. Authors Note

Hey, I just wanted to thank everyone for bothering to read this story. Thank you for letting me use your favorite characters as practice. I hope I did them justice. It is a low key story, and I know that established romances aren't always canon, but it was fun to write. I enjoyed imagining how each character would respond in these situations. Now that this is done, I'll be back to working on my main project. So goodbye for now.


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